Hemorrhoids and Pregnant Women

Babies do not actually suffer from hemorrhoids, but do their bit to cause them! Pregnant women often get the condition, as a result of the strain of carrying the baby and also from the strain of giving birth. This susceptibility to baby hemorrhoids is caused by the uterus directly sitting on top of the blood vessels which should drain the hemorrhoid veins. In addition, the pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes the walls of the veins. All this makes the veins in this part of the body to swell. This situation is worsened further by long periods of standing or sitting.
When it comes to giving birth, the pressure on the abdomen, just as occurs in a bowel movement, can inflate these veins. These postpartum hemorrhoids, as they are known, are hard to avoid. After all, giving birth does involve a certain amount of pushing! If you are unfortunate enough to get baby hemorrhoids along with baby, there are things you can do to help reduce any pain and discomfort. The first 24 hours after delivery could be used to apply ice packs. After this, you could try warm sitz baths, dabbing with sterile cotton balls dosed in Witch Hazel or using ointments containing hydrocortisone. If you can avoid being constipated, this will help. In any event, the baby hemorrhoids should go away as your body regains its strength after the strain of childbirth.
A recommended remedy for pregnant women is to lie down on your left side, every four to six hours, for approximately 20 minutes. This routine lowers the pressure on the main vein, which drains the lower portion of the body.
Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of hemorrhoiddomain.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about hemorrhoids during pregnancy.
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